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applaud local women. The core of the magazine is our inspirational women's articles, most of which feature local women but occasionally we are
able to interview national women who we feel provide a unique inspiration for our readers. Our other articles cover topics of interest such as food
recipes, home, garden, beauty, health, fashion, dating, parenting, seniors, finance, business, hair care, skin care, advice, real estate, insurance,
weddings etc. Each issue has a feature section as well. Many of our articles are written by local business people who provide information
relevant to their business expertise. The Applaud Women website is also a resource center for local women including the most comprehensive
listings of Restaurants, Weddings, Female doctors and Hotels. It also includes a number of informational pages with links, articles and RSS feeds
to both local and national websites of interest to women in NH & n. MA.
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| Driven by Distraction By Ginny Williams |
“Other people’s interruptions of your work are relatively insignificant
compared to the countless times you interrupt yourself.” ~Brendan Francis
Do you feel like constant distractions and interruptions consume all of your time? Is it difficult to plan your day because you are always reacting to
so many curveballs? Are you frustrated that you can never seem to complete projects on your endless to-do list?
It’s not your imagination. The tempo of life is accelerating for all of us. Technology, the very thing that was designed to save us time, has instead
created a flood of ways for us to misuse our time, scattering our energy and concentration in the process.
Repeated interruptions and distractions can leave you feeling overwhelmed, resentful and edgy. You may be left with the uneasy sense that time
is rushing past you and you can’t keep up, let alone get ahead of everything that needs to be done. The impact of an interruption isn’t just the
momentary hit to your concentration, but also your energy. Recent research shows that the time it takes to recover from an interruption and
resume where you left off can be significant.
But what about the many ways you may be intentionally distracting yourself? Are you allowing others to impose themselves on you? Do you have
a favorite time waster when you’re avoiding some other task?
You may be using distractions to keep from facing difficult relationships or situations. Or you may be keeping yourself so busy that you never
have time to plan the necessary steps that you know will improve the quality of your life. Unfinished business can linger in the back of your mind
and intrude when your mind is quiet. So just staying busy can become a coping mechanism.
The real cost isn’t just that you’ve wasted time. You’re also preventing yourself from being fully focused on whatever you are doing. Your mind is
always racing to the next thing on the list.
Here are a few changes that you can develop to increase your energy instead of depleting it. You will still have just 24 hours in the day, but the
time will feel less pressured and more balanced.
1.Routines – Designate certain days to do recurring chores and errands. Although this may seem restrictive at first, it actually can be very freeing
to know that cleaning, laundry and grocery shopping all have an appointed day and time.
2.Improving by removing – If your calendar has no white space, you are overdue for a time overhaul. Give yourself permission to let go of one or
two obligations. But be sure to fill those open slots with time for yourself; don’t automatically fill it with more to-dos.
3.Pause Triggers – Do you feel like a trained dog, leaping for the phone whenever it rings? The Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn suggests
that whenever your phone rings, use it as a reminder to pause, breathe, and center yourself. These tiny pauses are like a brief meditation,
reducing some of the stress of your busy day. Now you’re ready to pick up that call with renewed, focused energy.
Remember, reclaiming your time is an ongoing process. Placing boundaries around your time takes persistence and patience. But every minute
you deposit in the time bank is time that you can better invest in yourself.
Ginny Williams is a professional life coach based in Plum Island, MA. She is a coach, writer and speaker specializing in life transitions. Coach
Ginny can be reached at (978) 462-2334, email Ginny@CoachGinny.com or at www.coachginny.com
compared to the countless times you interrupt yourself.” ~Brendan Francis
Do you feel like constant distractions and interruptions consume all of your time? Is it difficult to plan your day because you are always reacting to
so many curveballs? Are you frustrated that you can never seem to complete projects on your endless to-do list?
It’s not your imagination. The tempo of life is accelerating for all of us. Technology, the very thing that was designed to save us time, has instead
created a flood of ways for us to misuse our time, scattering our energy and concentration in the process.
Repeated interruptions and distractions can leave you feeling overwhelmed, resentful and edgy. You may be left with the uneasy sense that time
is rushing past you and you can’t keep up, let alone get ahead of everything that needs to be done. The impact of an interruption isn’t just the
momentary hit to your concentration, but also your energy. Recent research shows that the time it takes to recover from an interruption and
resume where you left off can be significant.
But what about the many ways you may be intentionally distracting yourself? Are you allowing others to impose themselves on you? Do you have
a favorite time waster when you’re avoiding some other task?
You may be using distractions to keep from facing difficult relationships or situations. Or you may be keeping yourself so busy that you never
have time to plan the necessary steps that you know will improve the quality of your life. Unfinished business can linger in the back of your mind
and intrude when your mind is quiet. So just staying busy can become a coping mechanism.
The real cost isn’t just that you’ve wasted time. You’re also preventing yourself from being fully focused on whatever you are doing. Your mind is
always racing to the next thing on the list.
Here are a few changes that you can develop to increase your energy instead of depleting it. You will still have just 24 hours in the day, but the
time will feel less pressured and more balanced.
1.Routines – Designate certain days to do recurring chores and errands. Although this may seem restrictive at first, it actually can be very freeing
to know that cleaning, laundry and grocery shopping all have an appointed day and time.
2.Improving by removing – If your calendar has no white space, you are overdue for a time overhaul. Give yourself permission to let go of one or
two obligations. But be sure to fill those open slots with time for yourself; don’t automatically fill it with more to-dos.
3.Pause Triggers – Do you feel like a trained dog, leaping for the phone whenever it rings? The Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn suggests
that whenever your phone rings, use it as a reminder to pause, breathe, and center yourself. These tiny pauses are like a brief meditation,
reducing some of the stress of your busy day. Now you’re ready to pick up that call with renewed, focused energy.
Remember, reclaiming your time is an ongoing process. Placing boundaries around your time takes persistence and patience. But every minute
you deposit in the time bank is time that you can better invest in yourself.
Ginny Williams is a professional life coach based in Plum Island, MA. She is a coach, writer and speaker specializing in life transitions. Coach
Ginny can be reached at (978) 462-2334, email Ginny@CoachGinny.com or at www.coachginny.com